Past

My name is Chris, and I'm a writer from outside Philly. In 2017, a few weeks after finishing law school, I decided to move to the Sonoran Desert on a whim, trading a cushy law gig for part two of my writing career. Phoenix New Times named me food editor a few weeks later.

Most but not all of my writing is about food. I have a master’s in food studies, which immersed me in subjects like ancient Roman recipes, why most bananas are yellow, noodle science, the FDA, salmon farming, retronasal smell, and cheeses of the world.

In my time as a writer, I have published in The Boston Globe, Men’s Health, Saveur, and some two dozen others. I have covered foraging in the Rockies and working on vineyards in the Apennines, experimental Mexican barbecue and an old future city, making the best pizza in America and eating the world’s hottest pepper, brewing wild ale overnight in the forest and hunting with Apaches.

My goal is to tell stories using deep reporting, vivid scenes, and novel techniques. Writing from across borders and time shapes my work.

Present

Today, I’m the food critic at Phoenix New Times. According to the job title, you might think that I hang out in restaurants and write a bunch of reviews. I see the role a little differently. My favorite kind of story is an adventurous, fast-paced narrative that spotlights people on the margins.

In 2019, I write a monthly column, Sonoran Arcana. It’s a series of forays into the wild or unknown to define an emerging Arizonan cuisine, and, broadly, the food of Arizona. I have a few big feature stories cold and just about ready to be tapped. Some have been brewing a long time.

Stay tuned for more. Hope you catch a story or two now. Grazie mille for your time.